PimPamPet

Quake (DOS)

Awesome atmosphere.

The Good
When Quake came out in 1996, it's technology was simply amazing. 100 percent true 3d in a fast action game was something never accomplished before Quake, so you can imagine the impact it had.

The gameplay was very much like Doom's, except there were some more bits and pieces incorporated into the levels (for example, hidden shootable buttons that were mostly located in dark areas) to add a little puzzle aspect to them. The levels were large and nicely designed, however the textures looked a little ugly when you where in close proximity to them. The soundtrack, which was contributed by Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor), was very atmospheric and scary, it contributed a lot to the overall atmosphere of the game (you need to get the CD-ROM release to get it, it is not included in the downloadable version sold by id -- it's a must have!).

The multiplayer was simply astounding when this came out. It was also the first id fps to support internet play out-of-the-box (Doom did not originally support this because the internet was not much used in 1993).

The Bad
There aren't much things not to like about Quake, since there's not that much to it. However, every game has it's faults (well, I'm pretty sure about that anyway), so here are Quake's few.

First of all, the colors. This is a matter of taste of course, but there have been many complaints by gamers in the past about the 'brown' look of the game (lack of variation in color). Look at the screenshots to see what I mean.

Second, little replay value. It's still fun the second (or third) time, but the 'scare' factor will be gone for the most part.

Third, the end game is just bizarre. It sucks, one of the worst endings ever.

Also, some of the levels were plain stupid. But only a handful, and I personally think the good far outweighs the bad in this case.

The Bottom Line
Quake is a great game if you like the kind of first person shooter that doesn't go into too much detail about 'why', 'where', or 'who'. I've still got it installed on my P90 to this day and I get back to it time by time. Quake remains enjoyable even after ten years of aging.

By PimPamPet on September 27, 2006

Ken's Labyrinth (DOS)

A true classic.

The Good
I know that a lot of people call this crap, but they don't realize that this game has been done by a 12-year old in 1992! Back then, it sure wasn't easy to make such games! The creator, Ken Silverman (of BUILD fame), had to figure out each aspect of 3D-game programming by HIMSELF! Can you really believe this engine actually blew me away?!

He also did fantastic MUSIC, very emotional... It will be in your mind for a few hours, after you've played this...

The Bad
It is waaaaaay too hard, even on easy mode! Also, the game has a really sad atmosphere, it even nearly got me crying.

The Bottom Line
You should check it out, it's definitely history! The first Wolf3D clone ever, programmed by a 12-year old... This is actually the very engine that would turn into BUILD some years after, and would become the base of great games such as Duke Nukem 3D and Blood! Oh, and you'll probably need some DOSBox or something if you want to hear the sound properly.

NOTE: As no-one has noted this before, I'll take the honors... This game is actually freeware, now. Ken has released it with permission of Epic back in 1999! Download this game at http://advsys.net/ken/. Good luck with it! Pure enjoyment guaranteed!

By PimPamPet on November 6, 2003

Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (Windows)

One of those few platformers that I actually enjoyed!

The Good
Graphics and gameplay are just amazingly good, this is actually one of those few platformers that I really enjoyed playing!

The music is ten times better than that crappy Adlib-shit from the original. I even like it.

This game supports 3D-cards... That's where the fun begins, you can actually play this in 3D (imagine it to be sorta like Duke Nukem's Manhattan Project)!

I think everything else not mentioned beneath is just great!

The Bad
It's buggy. It crashes quite a lot.

The DirectX software rendering is a total failure, either it crashes, or it makes your monitor go crazy.

The Bottom Line
This game is really nice, if you liked the original, you'll enjoy this GUARANTEED!

By PimPamPet on November 1, 2003